Batman Villains
The first villains the Batman ever had to fight in Gotham City were naturally the local organized crime syndicates, set in place long before himself. Gotham City is one of the most notorious cities in America for both crime and corruption, and as such has some of the toughest and most relentless mobsters. The Roman Empire During the Batman's first several appearances, Gotham City was largely controlled by the Falcone crime family, a local mafia division with ties reaching far out into Chicago and New York. * Carmine "The Roman" Falcone:First Appearance: Batman #404 Carmine Falcone, nicknamed "The Roman" for his unparalleled dominating expansionism, was the unquestioned crime lord of Gotham for many years. He had virtually all of the cities politicians in his pocket, including chief of police Gillian Loeb, and was met with no competition until the Batman began thwarting his various endeavors. After the mysterious serial killer "Holiday" began bumping off members of his organization, he was forced to hire some of the very new Costumed Freaks in Gotham to help manage his problems, arguably making him responsible for their successful semi-coup of the Gotham Crime Landscape. Falcone was murdered by Harvey Dent, shortly after he became Two-Face. Falcone had three children: :* Sofia Gigante Falcone: The daughter of mob boss Carmine Falcone, as well as the new leader of the Falcone crime family following his death. She was also the serial killer know as the Hangman who murdered police officers on holidays. :* Alberto Falcone:First Appearance: Batman: The Long Halloween #1 The son of Carmine "The Roman" Falcone, Gotham City's untouchable crimelord, who became a serial killer known as Holiday. :* Mario Falcone: Carmine's eldest son, deported to Italy for criminal activities. * Sal "The Boss" Maroni:First Appearance: Detective Comics #66 One of the other most prominent mobsters in Gotham City at the time of the Falcones, also working for the Roman Empire, was "Sal Maroni." Maroni helped fund some of the earliest experiments of Dr. Hugo Strange, and was responsible for the birth of Two-Face when he cast acid into the face of his prosecuting lawyer (alternatively Harvey Dent or Kent). Maroni had two sons, Pino and Umberto. Rupert Thorne * Boss Rupert Thorne:First Appearance: Detective Comics #469 Prominent head of one of Gotham City's top smuggling gangs. He is also the boss of "Matches" Malone, the criminal whose identity was taken over by Batman. :* Mayor Hamilton Hill: A corrupt politician who became mayor of Gotham City thanks to Rupert Thorne. He helped Thorne oppose Batman, notably by firing Commissioner James Gordon. :* Commissioner Peter Pauling: Puppet commissioner instated by Mayor Hill, on the behest of Rupert Thorne. Assorted * Joe Chill:First Appearance: Detective Comics #33 Joe Chill was the low-level mobster who murdered Thomas and Martha Wayne in a mugging and was first arrested the same night he murdered them, but has since become somewhat more of an entrepreneur. * Tony Zucco:First Appearance: Detective Comics #38 Tony Zucco is the mobster responsible for murdering Dick Grayson's parents when the owner of Haly's Circus refused to pay protection money. Zucco's second in command and closest freind was the head of the Skeevers Crime Family, Eddie Skeevers who assisted Zucco in his plot to kill the Graysons. He is deceased. * Lew Moxon:First Appearance: Detective Comics #235 Lew Moxon is traditionally held as responsible for the deaths of the Waynes, having hired Joe Chill to do it and make it look like an accident. Post-Infinite Crisis however, Joe Chill seems to have acted alone. Central rogues' gallery * The Joker:First Appearance: Batman #1 The Joker is perhaps Batman's oldest and most dedicated foe. A sadistic clown bent on chaotic nihilism and grinning death, despite having no obvious powers, he has presented more of a challenge to Batman over the years than any number of those more powerful or well-trained than himself. He is responsible for, among other things, the murder of the second Robin, Jason Todd, and the paralyzing of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, who he made into a paraplegic. * Two-Face:First Appearance: Detective Comics #66 "Two-Face" is a criminal who has one half of his face horribly scarred, and the other stunningly handsome. He's completely obsessed with the number "2," duality, and fate. As such, all of the crimes that he commits revolve around the number "2," and he's psychologically unable to do anything else. He carries a double-headed coin around with him that has one of the heads scarred, and he flips the coin before he makes any decisions involving a question of law and illegal activities; even when it would senselessly inconvenience him, sometimes surrendering when he otherwise could've escaped. Tragically, before becoming Two-Face, he was "Harvey Dent," Gotham City's District Attorney, and one of the Batman's closest friends and allies. Batman considers Harvey Dent's descent into madness to be one of his own greatest failures. * The Penguin:First Appearance: Detective Comics #58 Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a short round man with a long pointed nose, fancies himself a gentleman of crime. He usually wears a tuxedo, top hat, and monocle, and carries any variety of umbrellas which have various hidden functions such as vehicles or weapons. * Catwoman:First Appearance: Batman #1 Selina Kyle, starting as a criminal who wore a cat-themed costume and often operated as a burglar, has a love/hate relationship with Batman. For years, she skirted on the edge between villain and antiheroine. However, she has largely reformed in recent years, adopting the role of the guardian of Gotham City's crime-infested East End, though she still comes into conflict with Batman on occasion. She has also been known to take revenge upon those who commit crimes against animals, especially cats. * Bane:First Appearance: Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 An escaped prisoner from an island prison in South America, Bane has abnormal strength as a result of having had experiments with a derivative of the drug Venom performed on him. He became known as "The Man Who Broke the Bat" when he broke Batman's spinal cord, forcing Bruce Wayne to give up the Batman persona while he recuperated. It is later revealed that Bane is the biological son of King Snake. * The Riddler:First Appearance: Detective Comics #140 Edward Nigma is a criminal mastermind who has a strange compulsion to challenge Batman by leaving clues to his crimes in the form of riddles and puzzles. Recently, he has seemingly abandoned his criminal lifestyle and has opted to utilize his skills to turn a profit as a freelance investigator. * Hush:First Appearance: Batman #609 Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Tommy Elliot blamed Thomas Wayne for saving the lives of his parents, who he hated and had tried to murder. He recently resurfaced taking up the guise of "Hush," and coordinated a massive physical and psychological attack from many different fronts using the other members of Batman's Rogues Gallery as accomplices or pawns. * Killer Croc:First Appearance: Batman #358 Waylon Jones is a former crocodile wrestler turned into a criminal deformed by mutation into a humongous humanoid lizard. He has low intelligence but great strength, as well as crocodilian abilities, such as a keener sense of smell and the ability to hold his breath underwater for long periods of time. * Poison Ivy:First Appearance: Batman #181 Pamela Lillian Isley, a former student of advanced botanical biochemistry, employs plants of all varieties and their derivatives in her crimes, usually of an eco-terroristic variety. Whether through heretofore unknown psionic capabilities or self-affected genetic engineering, she possesses both the ability to control/manipulate all plant life and an immunity to all known poisons and toxins. She is often described as fanatical about defending plants from other humans, even being willing to murder for her beliefs. She also has a severe love/hate relationship with Batman. In some instances she claims to love him, in other encounters she functions as an ally, and at other times she is more than willing to kill him. * Scarecrow:First Appearance: World's Finest Comics #3 Professor Jonathan Crane, an insane scientist and psychiatrist, specializes in the nature of fear. Dressed symbolically as a scarecrow, he employs special weapons, equipment and techniques designed to use fear to his advantage in his crimes. * Professor Hugo Strange:First Appearance: Batman #1 First gaining fame as a psychiatrist who declared that he'd fully analyzed the Dark Knight from afar, Professor Hugo Strange lent credence to his own claims by deducing Batman's true identity as Bruce Wayne. However, his interest in the Batman turned into a deranged obsession, and he's used his medical expertise to hatch a series of bizarre plots based around genetics and mind control in order to defeat the Batman and possibly take his place. Strange's fragile mental state has left him with intermittent knowledge of Batman's true identity, a fact that hangs over Bruce Wayne's head - for if Strange ever snaps completely, Batman's greatest secret might be revealed... * The Black Mask: :* Roman Sionis:First Appearance: Batman #386 Following the suspicious death of his multi-millionaire parents in a fire, Roman Sionis inherited their fortune and then went on to bankrupt their company. Saved by a buyout by Bruce Wayne, Sionis came to resent and hate Wayne. Fixated on the concept of masks, Sionis carved one from his father's black coffin and sought revenge; his ensuing battle with the Dark Knight caused his mask to be burnt into is skin, remaking him as the Black Mask. Sionis is now a feared gang leader and one of the most powerful mob bosses in Gotham, with a burning hatred of the Batman. :* Jeremiah Arkham: Doctor Jeremiah Arkham was the somewhat sadistic administrator of Arkham Asylum who had delusions that the criminals he housed could one day be housed in society. Since the death of Roman Sionis, He has taken up the mask of Black Mask. The new Black Mask quickly made a name for himself by blowing up Arkham Asylum and forcing Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Firefly and others to work for him. Black Mask's identity was revealed to be Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, after Batman capured him. He is now an inmate in Arkham Asylum. * The Great White Shark:First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell Formerly crooked investor Warren "The Great White Shark" White, who avoids prison time by pleading insanity and is sentenced to Arkham Asylum. There, among other indignities and torture, White is assaulted and locked in a refrigeration unit by Jane Doe, who is attempting to take over his identity. His injuries, compiled with excessive frost bite, leaves White deformed. His skin turns a pale white, and the frostbite claims his nose, lips, hair, and several of his fingers, leaving him very much resembling a great white shark and driven partially insane. He now uses his business connections to serve as a liaison and fence for many of his fellow inmates. * The Mad Hatter: Jervis Tetch, formerly a research scientist, is completely smitten with the works of Lewis Carroll. As his criminal name indicates, he takes the appearance of the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is an insane neuroscientist and developed hardware that can control the brain and induce hypnotic states, and often uses hats or other headgear for mind control. * Mister Freeze:First Appearance: Batman #121 Dr. Victor Fries was formerly a scientist and is an expert on cryonics. He tried to cryopreserve his stricken wife Nora Fries until a cure was found for her disease. During the process, an accident caused his body to function only below freezing point, requiring him to wear a special self-contained refrigeration suit. He uses similar ice technology for weapons. * The Ventriloquist and Scarface: :* Arnold Wesker: Arnold Wesker is a small, mild-mannered ventriloquist. His puppet is a gangster named Scarface. Under the puppet's psychological influence, Wesker becomes a dangerous criminal and crime boss. He was among the villains who was killed by the second Tally Man. :* Peyton Riley: A new female Ventriloquist, called Sugar by Scarface. * The Red Hood: :* The Joker: Originally, the identity of "The Red Hood" was used by a gang of thugs who wished to create the illusion they were working under a mastermind, to divert blame from themselves. They would hire a new person for every job the pulled to wear the Red Hood helmet, and the police were none the wiser. The Red Hood came to an end when one of their stooges, wearing it during a robbery at the Ace Chemical Processing Plant, fell into a vat of toxin and nearly drowned. This man, driven insane by the chemicals, would later evolve into The Joker. :* Jason Todd: Formerly the second Robin, Jason Todd was killed by the Joker, who beat him half to death and left him in an exploding warehouse. Jason re-emerged years later as the new Red Hood, ironically the Joker's old alias. Notoriously brutal in his run as Robin, he has shown he has no problem with killing criminals. He actively tries to cleanse the city of corruption, such as the illegal drug trade and gang violence, but in a violent, anti-heroic way. He eventually comes to blows against Batman and other heroes. Jason retakes the mantle of the Red Hood after losing his bid to become the new Batman to Dick Grayson. After all his killings he leaves behind a calling card which states "let the punishment fit the crime." He describes his vendetta against Dick Grayson as "the revenge of one crazy man in a mask on another crazy man in a mask." * Man-Bat: Dr. Kirk Langstrom, sometimes an enemy of Batman, is unfortunately cursed to periodically turn into an animalistic humanoid bat who fights Batman. As a scientist, Kirk Langstrom is Batman's ally. * Mister Zsasz:First Appearance: Batman: Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 1 Victor Zsasz, a more or less "common" serial killer, keeps a tally of his victims by cutting new scars into his body with his trademark carving knife. * Firefly: Garfield Lynns, an orphan who became a pyromaniac and has developed a fireproof suit and flamethrower to further pursue his 'hobby'. * Harley Quinn:First Appearance: Batman: Harley Quinn Vol 1 1 Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a former criminal psychiatrist, fell in love with the Joker and became his most famous accomplice. She wears the outfit of a traditional harlequin jester. She affectionately refers to the Joker as "Puddin'" and "Mistah' J", and is best friends with Poison Ivy. * Clayface: :*'Basil Karlo':First Appearance: Detective Comics #40 The original Clayface, was an actor who was driven mad when he heard of a re-make of the classic horror film he had starred in, The Terror. Adopting the persona of the film's villain "Clayface", he became a serial killer targeting the cast and crew. He was eventually stopped by Batman and Robin. Later, Karlo would be imbued with the powers of Clayfaces Preston Payne and Sondra Fuller. Additionally, his body sports crystals similar to quartz that endow him with greater powers. In this form he is known as the "Ultimate Clayface." He is the Clayface who is currently active in crime. :*'Matthew Hagen':First Appearance: Detective Comics #298 was a treasure hunter who happened upon a radioactive pool of protoplasm. He submerged himself in it, granting himself powers allowing him to transform into almost any shape. Hagen was ultimately killed during the 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths. :*'Preston Payne':First Appearance: Detective Comics #478 suffered from hyperpituitarism and worked at S.T.A.R. Labs to search for a cure. He obtained a sample of the then-living Matt Hagen's blood, and isolated an enzyme which he introduced into his own bloodstream. His flesh began to melt, however, and he built an exoskeleton anti-melting suit to not only preserve himself, but to also prevent him from touching anyone, as he also gained the ability to melt people with a touch. He soon learned that he needed to spread his melting contagion onto others to survive. :*'Sondra Fuller':First Appearance: Batman and the Outsiders #21 has abilities similar to Matt Hagen, but can also mimic the special power of the being she is mimicking. She met and fell in love with Preston Payne, and the two had a son named Cassius, the fifth Clayface. :*'Cassius Clay Payne': * Catman: Thomas Blake was a world-famous trapper of jungle cats who turned to crime because he had grown bored with hunting and had squandered most of his fortune. He became a burglar who committed his crimes in a catsuit made out of an ancient African cloth he believed gave him a cat's nine lives. * Deadshot: Floyd Lawton is often a hired assassin, regularly boasting to "never miss." He is capable of using a large variety of weapons, but prefers using a pair of silenced, wrist-mounted guns. The League of Assassins * Ra's al Ghul:First Appearance: Batman #232 Ra's al Ghul is a centuries-old international eco-terrorist. He was one of the first to deduce the Batman's secret identity, and as such maintains an intimate relationship with him, going so far as to support an on/off relationship between Batman and al Ghul's own daughter, Talia. He lives in a state of somewhat immortality, thanks to the help of revitalizing Lazarus Pits. Having been alive for centuries, he is incredibly intelligent and agile, having had time to train his mind and body to their absolute peaks. His name translates literally as "The Demon's Head," and he is credited with establishing the League of Assassins to further his goals. Ra's has two daughters: :* Talia al Ghul:First Appearance: Detective Comics 411 she's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Her father encouraged a relationship between Talia and Batman, desiring for Batman to marry his daughter in hopes of recruiting him as his successor. Talia admires Batman in his drive, determination, and nobility, but was always torn between him and the love for her terrorist father. Unlike Catwoman, Talia is more than willing to play second-fiddle to Bruce's mission. She claims he's the father of her son Damian. :* Nyssa Raatko:First Appearance: Batman: Death and the Maidens #1 she's the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, born in St. Petersburg in 1775, and a Holocaust survivor. She eventually broke off from her father and his crusade, which resulted in a rift between them. She had in her possession a Lazarus Pit that could be reused over and over again. She was responsible for brainwashing her half-sister Talia into despising not only Batman, but their father as well, whom she ended up killing with a sword. It appears, however, that Nyssa was killed in a car bombing in Northern Africa, presumably by the League of Assassins. * The League of Assassins:First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215 :* The Sensei:First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215 as an aged martial arts master from Hong Kong, he was Darrk's second in command. He was put in charge of the League after Darrk's death. However, he would prove just as disloyal as his predecessor, and the Sensei would eventually struggle with Ra's al Ghul for the control of the organization. One of his personal goals is to raise assassination to an artform. He is revealed to be Ra's al Ghul's father in Batman #671 :* Doctor Darrk:First Appearance: Strange Adventures #215 He is the first known individual assigned to head the League of Assassins by Ra's al Ghul. Although many of the League's leaders over the years have been accomplished martial artists, Daark himself did not depend on physical prowess, and as an assassin he instead relied upon careful planning and manipulation, ambushes and death traps, as well as a variety of cleverly concealed weapons and poisons. After earning Ra's enmity (for reasons unknown) Daark died during a plot to kidnap Talia which was foiled by Batman. :* Lady Shiva:First Appearance: Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5 she's a mercenary assassin who once trained Batman, and is possibly the greatest martial artist alive in the DC Universe; one of Batman's true physical rivals. She is also the biological mother of Cassandra Cain. :* David Cain:First Appearance: Batman #567 David Cain is one of the world's premier assassins, whose victims have included some of the most famous and powerful people on the planet. He trained the young Bruce Wayne with the skills that he would use as Batman, although Bruce has never used such techniques. Regarding his training, Batman explained, "Knowing how to kill doesn't mean you must kill." He is the biological father of Cassandra Cain. | MinorVillains = * Abbatoir:First Appearance: Detective Comics #625 Arnold Etchison is a serial killer who killed his family members. * Amygdala:First Appearance: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #3 Aaron Helzinger, a powerful behemoth with a child-like temper; he is quick to anger and turns into a murdering monster. * Anarky: Lonnie Machin, a teenage prodigy who, believing in anarchism, creates improvised gadgets and attempts to subvert government in order to improve society. Batman recognizes him as a force for good, but does not support his violent methods. * Armory: After losing his job as a weapons designer, turns to crime to make ends meet as a supervillain called Armory. * Babyface: A notorious mob boss in Gotham city, Babyface earned his name because his face resembles that of an infant child. * Batzarro: Wayne Bruce is a distorted clone of Batman, presumably created through the same process as Bizarro, the failed clone of Superman. At times it seems as though Batzarro is trying to aid Batman, but his mangled dialogue and inexplicable actions make it difficult to be sure. Batzarro describes himself as "the world's worst detective". * Big Time: Charlie "Big Time" Bigelow was a loudmouth hoodlum and a former friend of Terry McGinnis who got involved with the wrong crowd, and ended up becoming a mutated powerhouse. * Bird: Bird was a member of Bane's gang and was instrumental in helping Bane in his efforts become the new crimelord of Gotham. * Blockbuster: Mark Desmond is a mindless behemoth who was controlled by his brother to commit crimes, Later Roland Desmond became a mindless brute like his brother but later gained a genius level intellect. * Black and White Bandit: Roscoe Chiara was once an artist who was commissioned to paint Winsor Munsell, an art lover and head of a chemical corporation. His company had created new pigments for painting, the paints were untested and Roscoe Chiara had become color-blind as a result of the pigments. In revenge, he became the Black and White Bandit and began a campaign against Munsell. * The Black Glove: :* The Club of Villains: ::* Doctor Hurt: A deranged psychiatrist heading the Black Glove to destroy Batman, body and soul. He claims to be Thomas Wayne and wears the Bat-suit that Bruce's father once wore to a costume party; later, Batman accuses him of being Mangrove Pierce, an actor who was framed for murder by John Mayhew. Hurt denied this, stating that he had skinned Pierce alive and worn "him to Mayhew's party", which probably refers to the events of Batman #667-669. From Batman's final entry in his Black Casebook (see Batman #681), it is implied that Hurt is in fact the Devil, as others had previously claimed. ::* Le Bossu: A French villain dressed as a hunchback, with henchmen dressed as gargoyles, whose real identity is brilliant Neurosurgeon and 'family man' Guy Dax, who uses the Hunchback persona to live out the violent fantasies which he suppresses by day. He is shown to admire the Joker, until the latter disfigures him with a razor; however, he sees his disfigurement as an opportunity to give up his old life and become a sadistic monster permanently. ::* Pierrot Lunaire: A foe of the Musketeer who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte character Pierrot. Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks. ::* King Kraken: A masked deep sea diver whose weapon of choice is a high voltage electric rifle. A foe of Wingman. He believes that "henchmen are for wussies". ::* Charlie Caligula: A madman whose schemes are inspired by Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire. A foe of the Legionary. He was briefly tortured and left for dead by Batman while the crimefighter was in his "Batman of Zur-En-Arrh" persona. ::* Swagman: A gunman who speaks in an Australian accent and wears a costume based on the clothes of Australian bandit Ned Kelly. An enemy of Dark Ranger. ::* El Sombrero: Archenemy of El Gaucho, a lunatic in a luchador mask who designs fantastic and almost inescapable death traps for anyone who's willing to pay. John Mayhew posed as him in order to attempt at escaping culpability for his crimes shortly before the Black Glove executed him. The real Sombrero was murdered by the Joker. ::* Scorpiana: A sultry assassin who uses a blue scorpion as her calling card. A foe of El Gaucho. * The Black Spider:First Appearance: Detective Comics #463 Black Spider tends to use the latest in high tech weaponry such as laser assisted rifles. He is an Olympic level athlete and has trained intensely in many forms of physical combat. There have been three that have taken on the identity. * Blight: Derek Powers: After exposure to nerve gas, Powers is treated with extreme radiation and becomes the radioactive villain Blight. * Boneblaster: * Boxy Bennett: Boxy Bennett was a gangster, who had a thing for Harley Quinn. * The Broker: Sells hideouts to super-villains. * Calendar Man: Julian Day is known for committing crimes that corresponded with holidays and significant dates. * Candyman: A big time crime boss of Gotham in the future (Only mentioned). * Captain Boomerang: Captain boomerang is a villain with a skill for making and using deadly boomerangs. * Captain Stingaree:First Appearance: Detective Comics #460 Karl Courtney is a criminal who commits crimes using a pirate motif. * Catgirl: Kitrina Falcone previously known as Kittyhawk, is now Catwoman's new sidekick. * The Cavalier:First Appearance: Detective Comics #81 A swordsman who speaks in Shakespearean English and dresses in a French musketeer costume. His real name is Mortimer Drake. A second Cavalier, Hudson Pyle, shows up in the story "Blades." In this version, the Cavalier is a swashbuckling hero who becomes a media darling. * Chancer: Chancer is a thief from Texas wanted for over 20 different robberies. He is a generally overconfident character with an unusual luck that usually ends up with someone in a bind and him getting away. * Circus of Strange: A new assemblage of villains lead by Pyg :* Professor Pyg: Professor Pyg is a deranged gang leader who wears a pig mask and grafts synthetic doll faces onto his victims, whom he uses as henchmen. :* Phosphorus Rex: Phosphorus Rex is a genteel Englishman with a flaming head and hands. :* Big Top: Big Top is an morbidly obese bearded lady in a tutu. :* Mister Toad: Mister Toad is the first "criminal" Dick Grayson confronted as Batman. :* Siam: Conjoined triplets in the Circus of Strange. * Clock King: * Cluemaster: Arthur Brown is a former game show host who turned to a life of crime and left clues at the scenes of his crimes. He is also the father of The Spoiler (Stephanie Brown). * Condiment King:First Appearance: Birds of Prey #37 A villain who makes use of various condiments, sometimes capable of causing Anaphylactic shock, as his weapons. * Conundrum: * Cornelius Stirk:First Appearance: Detective Comics #592 * Council of Spiders: :* Funnel: :* Goliath: :* Recluse: :* Sac: :* Tangle: :* The Wanderer: :* Widower: :* Wolf: * Count Vertigo: * Crazy Quilt:First Appearance: Boy Commandos #15 * The Crime Doctor:First Appearance: Detective Comics #77 * Curaré: A member of the League of Assassins who wields a laser-sharpened scimitar. * Deacon Blackfire:First Appearance: Batman: The Cult #1 Joseph Blackfire was a religious leader bent on taking over Gotham City, who may or may not have been over a hundred years old; he crossed paths with Batman during the events of "Batman: The Cult." Blackfire organized an army of homeless people, and even brainwashed the Batman himself into his ranks. They waged a violent and bloody war on crime, which resulted in the deaths of many innocents. Blackfire was eventually murdered by his own followers. * Deathstroke: Deathstroke the Terminator or Slade Wilson is a mercenary with strength, speed, and intellect that rival Batman's. He is regarded as one of best if not the best strategist on the planet. He gained these powers through military enhancements. He fought Batman to a standstill and only lost when Robin and Nightwing stepped in to help Batman. He is the main enemy however of the Teen Titans. * Death Rattle: Erasmus "Death Rattle" Rayne was a cult leader and a serial killer. He was a self-proclaimed psychic and founder of his own religion, completely amoral and wildly unpredictable. Rayne was convinced he could commune with the dead, and listened when the voices in his head told him to kill 56 members of his own ministry. He was imprisoned within Arkham Asylum, where he shared a cell with Warren White, and later died. * Diesel: * The Director: * Doctor Abel Cuvier: A doctor who starts a trend in infusing animal biology, also known as "splicing," with human DNA. He mutates himself into a chimera to battle Batman. The technology of splicing becomes outlawed shortly after his defeat. * Doctor Aesop: Doctor Aesop is a criminal who orchestrates crimes based upon the morality plays found in Aesop's Fables. * Doctor Death:First Appearance: Detective Comics #29 Dr. Karl Hellfern is a typical mad scientist who made a few appearances in the earliest days of Batman and is typically considered Batman's first supervillain. Doctor Death developed lethal chemical gases, and threatened wealthy citizens, demanding money and tribute to him in exchange for their safety. In more recent years, he has been reimagined as a dealer in black market biological weapons. * Doctor Double X:First Appearance: Detective Comics #261 * Doctor Phosphorus Alexander Sartorius is a mad criminal with radioactive powers. * Doodlebug:First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell Daedalus Boch is an artist who believes he receives visions of inspiration and then compulsively recreates them on whatever canvas they indicate, including people. * Double Dare: A pair of circus acrobats decided to make some fast cash by robbing Blüdhaven's criminals as the dynamic duo Double Dare. * Duela Dent: * Egghead: * The Electrocutioner:First Appearance: Batman #331 A vigilante who kills criminals with electricity. He is later killed by Adrian Chase. Two successors later appears, one a hit man for the mob and the other, Lester Buchinsky, the younger brother of the original. * The Eraser: Leonard Fiasco is a professional at covering the tracks of other crimes. For a 20 percent cut, the Eraser will 'erase' the evidence of another crime. * Facade:First Appearance: Detective Comics #821 Erik Hanson, a former employee at a trendy Gotham City nightclub for the city's popular socialites, he organizes a gang to replace them as a ploy to enter Gotham's elite. * False Face Society: An organization of masked henchmen who work for notorious Gotham City crime boss Black Mask. * Film Freak:First Appearance: Batman #395 * Firebug:First Appearance: Batman #318 * Flamingo: He rides a motorcycle and rips people’s faces off for fun. Oh yeah, and to top it all off, he’s dressed head-to-toe in pink. * Fright: Linda Friitawa is an albino geneticist who was stripped of her medical license for her unauthorized, gruesome experiments on human beings. She assisted the Scarecrow with his experiments; however, oblivious to Scarecrow, she was secretly hired by the Penguin to corrupt Scarecrow's toxins and infect Scarecrow with them, causing him to transform into a creature dubbed the 'Scarebeast'. In contrast to her deeds and the Penguin, Friitawa always treated Scarecrow with kindness. * Gaggy: Gaggy is a old henchman & sidekick to the Joker. * Gentleman Ghost: * The Globe:First Appearance: Detective Comics #840 Hammond Carter is obsessed with maps and "plots crimes by latitude, longitude, time zones and the shape of landmasses." * Gorilla Grodd: * Hellhound: Hellhound is an attack-dog trainer and a skilled martial artist. * Henri Ducard: Henri Ducard was once one of Batman's teachers in the art of crimefighting. Years later, however, Batman learns that his former mentor is a master criminal. * Humpty Dumpty:First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell Humphrey Dumpler, a large, portly, well-mannered man, is obsessed with putting broken things back together again, even if he has to take them apart. Thinking she is broken, Dumpler dismembers and reassembles his abusive grandmother in an attempt to fix her. * Inque: Treated with a mutagen, Inque has the ability to turn her body into liquid. She is a freelance saboteur. * Jackanapes: Jackanapes is a gorilla in a clown costume that wields a machete and submachine gun. He appears as an enemy of Damian Wayne in the future. * Jane Doe:First Appearance: Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1 Jane Doe is a cipher who obsessively learns her victims' personality and mannerisms, then kills them and assumes their identity by wearing their skin, eventually becoming that individual even in her own mind. * Jazzman: Jimmy Peake, a.k.a Jazzman, is a gangster in Gotham City. Though not a "theme" villain like the Joker, Two-Face, or the Penguin, he did have the odd eccentricity of using a lot of music-related terms in his speech. * Johnny Stitches: * Jokerz: The Jokerz were a Gotham City street gang based on the Clown Prince of Crime. While the original Joker might have long since disappeared from Gotham, his spirit lived on inside these villainous hellions. Dressed in clown outfits and face paint, they especially enjoyed practical jokes that turn deadly and generally creating chaos. :* Bonk: :* Chucko: :* Coe: :* Dee Dee: :* Dottie: :* Ghoul: :* J-Man: :* July: :* Scab: :* Scar: :* Smirk: :* Tayko: :* Terminal: Outwardly a model student at Hamilton Hill High School, Carter Wilson led a secret life as Terminal, the leader of a gang of Jokerz. :* Trey: :* Weasel: :* Woof: * Junkyard Dog: Tucker Long is completely obsessed with scavenging prizes and treasures from garbage. He apparently has the ability to create all manner of functional things – especially weapons – from junk. He is killed by fellow Arkham inmate Doodlebug. * Kabuki Twins: The henchwomen of The Penguin, the Kabuki Twin's origins are unknown, but it is presumed the Penguin picked them up in his trip to the Orient. Whether they're highly-trained women or merely robots, remains to be seen. * The KGBeast:First Appearance: Batman #417 The KGBeast was a rogue KGB assassin who first came to Gotham City to assassinate a number of political targets, including Ronald Reagan. During the events of "Ten Nights of the Beast," while fighting Batman, he was forced to chop off his own hand with an axe to avoid being captured; he had it replaced with a mounted multi-purpose machine gun and bayonet. Deceased, as of "Batman: Face the Face." * Killer Moth: Cameron van Cleer/Drury Walker was an anti-Batman who aided criminals just as Batman aids the police, but only for money. * King Coal: * King Snake: Sir Edmund Dorrance is a martial artist who becomes a mercenary, offering his professional expertise to various anti-communist rebels, and apparently made a great deal of money in doing so. While in Santa Prisca working with local rebels, his camp is taken by surprise by government commandos and he is blinded by gunfire. He flees to Hong Kong and becomes a businessman and the leader of the feared Ghost Dragons. He eventually gravitates to Gotham where he cedes control of the Chinatown district from the Triad gangs. This does not last long, however, and he loses control of the gang, sending him to join the terrorist cult Kobra. It is later revealed that he is the biological father of Bane. Bane tracks his father down, where Snake tries to have his son help him in taking over Kobra. The struggle results in Snake's apparent death. * King Tut: His criminal theme is based around Ancient Egypt the same way that Ancient Greece is the theme for Maxie Zeus. * Kite Man: Charles "Chuck" Brown, alias Kite Man, is a supervillain in Gotham City that commits crimes by arming himself with kite weapons and hang-gliding on a big kite. * Lady Vic: Descending from a line of wealthy English aristocratic mercenaries, she wields the heirlooms of her descendants trade(Flintlock Pistols and various melee weapons)with an exceptional degree of skill. * Little Italy: * Lock-Up: Lyle Bolton is a man specializing in incarceration and high tech security systems, discharged from the police academy for being too gung-ho, and dismissed from several security jobs. He once sets up a private prison for costumed villains. * Loveless: A big time crime boss of Gotham in the future (Only mentioned). * Lunkhead: Lunkhead is a large, imposing somewhat deformed bruiser of a man. He is killed by demons tricked by the Ventriloquist as revenge for destroying his Scarface puppet. * Lynx: * The Mad Monk: * Mad Stan: A rabidly anti-government terrorist who rebels against what he sees as a corrupt system. His solution to any given problem is to "blow it up," and as such he is an expert in explosives. * Madame X: Madame X, attempted to poison Gotham's water supply but was stoped by Batman. * Magpie: Margaret Pye is a jewel thief who targets only jewels named after birds, and then replaces the jewels with booby-trapped replicas. She is named for the Magpie, who in folklore is attracted to bright shiny things. She is among the villains who was killed by the second Tally Man. * Matches Malone: * Maxie Zeus: Maximillian "Maxie" Zeus was a former history teacher. He became an insane mob boss with a penchant for Greek mythology. Maxie had a god complex and usually used electrically-based weaponry to emulate the Greek god Zeus. * Max Roboto: Max Roboto is a cyborg with a partially cybernetic face. He appears as an enemy of Damian Wayne in the future. * Mime: Camilla Ortin is a girl who commits crimes dressed as a mime. She seldom speaks, which leads people to think she is mute. * Mister Fixx: Mister Fixx was Derek Powers' personal assistant and bodyguard. He was a ruthless brute, devoid of any sense of morality or mercy. * Mister ZZZ: * Monster Men: The Monster Men were a race of super-beings engineered by Hugo Strange with a growth serum. * Moon Gang: The Moon Gang are standard theme villains with bubble helmets and ray guns. * The Mortician: Porter Vito is a morgue worker who tried desperately to revive his dead parents. He raised an entire army of zombies to battle Batman. Currently in Arkham. * Music Meister: A man who is able to hypnotize people with his siging. * Mutants: A violent gang in future Gotham. * The NKVDemon: * Nocturna: Natalia Knight is a thief and manipulator. * Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is a serial killer who targets non-powered, vigilante superheroes. He earned his name because he imitates noises around him, such as dripping taps, gunshots etc. No personal characteristics are known about Onomatopoeia, including his real name or facial features.Onomatopoeia is a superb athlete, martial artist and weapons expert. He carries two semiautomatic handguns, a sniper rifle and an army knife. * Orca: Grace Balin is a marine biologist who transforms herself into a monstrous orca. She is among the villains who was killed by the second Tally Man. * Pearly King: * Pearly Prince: * Penny Plunderer: Joe Coyne, a thief obsessed with penny-oriented crimes, starts his career selling newspapers for pennies. He is later caught stealing pennies. The giant penny on display in the Batcave, which has been a longtime staple of Batman's lair, was originally one of the Penny Plunderer's devices. * Phantasm: Once the daughter (...and girl friend to Bruce Wayne) of a well to do Gotham business man, Andrea becomes a reaper for those involved with organized crime in Gotham City..as the methodical Phantasm. * Polka Dot Man: A minor Batman villain who turns the Polka-Dots on his costume into weapons * Professor Milo: Professor/Doctor Achilles Milo is a scientist who uses chemicals to battle Batman. * Prometheus: He is the son of two hippie criminals who travelled across the United States with him. They committed indiscriminate murders and thefts, often of a brutal nature (similar perhaps to Bonnie and Clyde). Eventually they were cornered and forced the police to gun them down in front of their son, whose hair turned white from the shock. That night, he swore an oath to "annihilate the forces of justice". His real name has not been revealed. * Prudence: * Query and Echo: most commonly known as The Riddler's two henchwomen. * Rag Doll: An extremely flexible double-jointed criminal. * The Ratcatcher: Otis Flannegan is a one-time actual rat catcher who turns to a life of crime. He has the ability to communicate with and train rats and uses them to plague Gotham many times. * The Reaper:First Appearance: * Religion of Crime: :* Mistress Alice: * Rhino: Frederick Rhino is the enormous, towering, muscular, but not very intelligent henchman of the original Ventriloquist. * Riot: * Roland Daggett: * Roxy Rocket: Roxanne "Roxy Rocket" Sutton was formerly a stunt double for a Hollywood actress. However, she lost her job after she tried to make her stunts so dangerous that no company would insure her. Out of work but still hungering for thrills, Sutton began stealing jewels using a specially designed one-seat rocket. * Royal Flush Gang: A crime family of five members, They consider themselfs the royalty of crime. :* King: the husband "King" (Mr. Walker). :* Queen: the wife and "Queen" (Donna Walker). :* Jack: the son Jack (Jack Walker) :* Ace: their bodyguard Ace (an android). :* Ten: the daughter Ten (Melanie Walker). Melanie develops a relationship with Terry, similar to the original Batman's relationship with Catwoman. * Sebastian Blackspell: Magic spell using Batman villain. * Sewer King: * Scarlet: Sasha was kidnapped and tortured by the villain known as Professor Pyg. She was later found and manipulated by the Red Hood who transformed her into his partner named Scarlet. * Shriek: Walter Shreeve is initially an engineer hoping to improve society with his inventions. He is led down a decidedly darker path by Powers, who wants a return on his investment in Shreeve's research. He thus dubs Sheeve Shriek, based on his special suit which allows him to generate destructive sound waves and manipulate sound in a wide variety of ways. During a fight with Batman, his suit is damaged, causing it to pick up sounds at such a high volume that Shreeve is rendered deaf. Though he develops a special headset to hear normally, the incident drives him insane and vengeful against Batman. * Signalman: Phil Cobb is a small-time criminal in Gotham who is convinced that he needs a gimmick to hit it big. Inspired by the Bat-Signal, he becomes the Signalman, using signals, signs, and symbols in his crimes, but is inevitably defeated by Batman and Robin, time and again. * Sister Zero: Magdalene Kyle is the younger sister of Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. Unlike her villainous sister, Maggie is a nun. After a number of encounters with her sister that ended in traumatizing events, she became convinced that her sister was possessed by a "Cat Demon". Donning a nun habit and various weapons, Maggie now as "Sister Zero" seeks to save her sister's soul. * Solomon Grundy: Cyrus Gold was a Gotham City merchant who was murdered and thrown into Slaughter Swamp, where he was transformed into an undead zombie-like creature. * Spellbinder: * Springheeled Jack: * The Spook: Val Kaliban is one of the world's greatest escape-artists, and uses his extraordinary abilities together with special effects to commit spectacular crimes and make people believe he was a real ghost. * The Squid: * Stalker: An African big game hunter who was enhanced with cybernetic implants after an encounter with a panther. Finding wild animals too easy with his new body, he seeks Batman as the ultimate prey. * T's: The T's were a street gang in the future Gotham City. Led by the aptly-named Fat T, they had a violent, years-long rivalry with the Jokerz, but were not above tormenting innocent people. :* Fat T: Fat T is the leader of the T's. * The Tally Man: * Tarantula: Catalina Flores was a former FBI agent. She became a super hero inspired by her hero, the first Tarantula, to battle police corruption and gangs in Blüdhaven. She has a loose moral code and is willing to do anything to get what she wants. * Temblor: Temblor is large and tough and combined with his gloves which emit high powered blasts that can rip, tear and take down anything, he’s not a force to be reckoned with. * Three Ghosts of Batman: :* "Bat-Cop": :* "Bat-Bane": :* "Bat-Devil": * The Ten-Eyed Man: * The Terrible Trio: Warren Lawford, Armand Lydecker, and Gunther Hardwicke, a trio of criminals who wear masks of animals to commit crimes as the Fox, the Shark, and the Vulture. * Tiger Shark: Dr. Gaige is a famous oceanographer turned gangleader. He operates at sea and at Gotham's waterfront. * Tobias Whale: Whale recently moved to Gotham City where he is attempting to become the Capo di tutti capi boss of bosses, following the death of the Black Mask. * Tranz-It Authority: The Tranz-It Authority hijacks trains. * The Trigger Twins: The Trigger Twins are two cowboys. They discover they share a great skill as gunslingers and become bandits. * Trogg: Trogg was one of three underlings in service to the crime lord known as Bane. He helped him to orchestrate a massive break-out at Arkham Asylum and facilitated Bane's efforts to wear down and ultimately cripple the Batman. * Ubu: Ubu is the loyal manservant and right hand of Ra's al Ghul. * The Weasel: The Weasel is a man with all canine teeth. He appears as an enemy of Damian Wayne in the future. * Willie Watt: A nerd at Hamilton Hill High who seeks revenge on his classmates and his father. He controlled a robot called the GoLeM (Galvanized Lifting Machine). But it was destroyed by Batman and was sent to a county juvenile for 3 years. However, he experience with GoLeM made him develop a telekinetic ability. * Wonderland Gang: A gang of Lewis Carroll themed rogues headed by a mind controlled Mad Hatter. :* Tweedledum and Tweedledee; Dumfrey and Deever Tweed are a pair of cousins, whose similar looks often have them mistaken for identical twins. Fat and lazy, the pair prefer to direct henchmen to carry out crimes, while they retire to a safe haven. The pair often wear costumes modelled on their namesakes from Lewis Carrol's Through the Looking-Glass (and what Alice found there). :* The March Hare: Harriet Pratt was a small-time grifter and part-time "escort" operating out of Gotham City before she was enlisted by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to join their Wonderland Gang. She was one of the first members besides the brainwashed Mad Hatter, and functions as the group's "March Hare." :* The Lion: Lewis Yarnell is a brawler, who uses claws in combat. :* The Unicorn: Skitch Benson wheres a helmet has an ornate unicorn horn, and is fixated impaling it in Batman during combat. :* The Walrus: Moe Blum was known to be an enforcer for the Black Mask, but presumably was forced to find other avenues of work after the crimelord's untimely demise. He was enlisted by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to join their Wonderland Gang, functioning as "The Walrus" alongside of a costumed woman known as "The Carpenter." :* The Carpenter: Jenna Duffy was a pickpocket and con artist operating out of Keystone City who moved to Gotham when she attracted unwanted police attention. Eventually, she was enlisted by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to serve as the "Carpenter" for their new Wonderland Gang. The gang has been incarcerated by Batman at least twice, but she appears to continue to be an active member. * The Wrath:First Appearance: Batman Special #1 An anti-Batman whose criminal parents are killed by then-rookie policeman Jim Gordon. As an adult, the Wrath becomes a cop-killer who copies many of Batman's methods. He perishes in his first appearance. A second Wrath, Elliot Caldwell later appears in Batman Confidential, revealed to be the first Wrath's sidekick, a twisted version of Robin. * Zebra-Man: * Zeiss:First Appearance: Batman #582 Philo Zeiss possesses surgically-enhanced speed, reflexes, vision-enhancing goggles, and extensive martial arts training. Brought up by the Sicilan mafia, Zeiss eventually becomes a contract killer and bodyguard. * Zombie: Zombie was an associate of the criminal Bane and was instrumental in helping Bane establish a foothold in Gotham City's criminal underworld. He assisted Bane in orchestrating a massive breakout at Arkham Asylum and also provided his employer with daily dosages of Venom. | HistoryText = Secret Identity Over the years, knowledge of Batman's secret identity has been one of the most both coveted and controversial desires of his rogues gallery. Many have tried, and a number have actually succeeded in discovering his secret identity. * Golden Age, many two-bit crooks actually learned of Bruce Wayne. However, they were each predictably murdered by an external factor before they could make use of the information. This included, along with others, both Joe Chill and Lew Moxon, each of whom Batman revealed his identity to shortly before he intended to exact dire revenge. Joe Chill ran to tell his fellow thugs, but after he explained to them he was responsible for the Batman's creation, they murdered him for that; only realizing their folly once it was too late. Lew Moxon believed Bruce to be the ghost of Thomas Wayne (who Moxon had murdered), and crazed, ran out into the middle of the street where he was hit by a truck. * Ra's al Ghul deduced Batman's identity with almost no trouble. He had determined that whoever Batman was would make the perfect husband for his daughter, Talia, and embarked to find out for himself. Al Ghul simply figured out what equipment exactly would be required to live as Batman, and then deduced that Bruce Wayne was the only person on Earth regularly buying these. Ra's has used this information to make his attacks against Batman more personal, but does not fraternize with the regular villain community, and as such has never shared it. * During the events of "Strange Apparitions," Hugo Strange was able to capture Batman through a complex feint scheme with an illegitimate hospital, and numerous trained venomous snakes. Although many other villains have undergone controversy in this situation, Hugo Strange simply removed his mask without hesitation, and then actually usurped his identity, and became Bruce Wayne himself. Strange also auctioned his identity on the black market, although he would later retract his offer; an act for which boss Rupert Thorne was believed to have killed him for. However, it was later revealed that Strange had simply faked his own death, as he often does. * The Riddler, seeking the answer to all of life's questions, yearned to learn Batman's secret identity perhaps more than any other villain. At one point when he was near death, he sunk himself into a Lazarus Pit to save his own life. In the ensuing bout of insanity, he simply realized Batman was Bruce Wayne. Later, he met Thomas Elliot, the man who would become "Hush." As Elliot had a massive grudge on Bruce Wayne, and the means to act upon it, the Riddler confided in him, and the two worked together launching a multi-pronged attack on various aspects of Batman's psyche during the events of "Batman: Hush", utilizing many other villains as their pawns. Although Hush remains aware of Bruce Wayne's alter ego, the Riddler devastatingly realized upon Batman's telling him that he couldn't actually really use the information to his advantage, as "a riddle everybody knows the answer to is worthless", which he wouldn't be able to stand. Later, the Riddler would undergo mental trauma, and it is unclear whether or not he currently remembers at all. * Catwoman has long been aware of Batman's identity, as she is no longer an enemy, but a functioning ally of his. * Perhaps most controversial with Batman's identity is the Joker himself. The Joker, despite numerous opportunities to uncover it for himself, has expressed numerous desires not to know who he really is. As if he feels it would sort of cheapen or ruin their unusally relationship, as Batman is the only other person he actually seems to consider real. Perhaps most notably, in "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge," he has Batman unconscious and completely at his mercy, but elects to leave him alone as he feels it was only on a technicality, and he had always envisioned his victory against Batman as "at the end of a bitter struggle." | RecommendedReading = * Batman: Knightfall * Batman: The Long Halloween * Batman: Dark Victory * Batman: No Man's Land * Batman: Hush * Batman: War Games * Batman: The Dark Knight Returns * Gotham Underground * Batman R.I.P. Related Articles * Gotham Organized Crime * Batman Family * Anti-Batman * Superman Villains | Equipment = * Joker Venom * Two-Face's Coin * The Penguin's Umbrella * Scarecrow's Fear Toxin | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = * The very first recurring Batman Villain was Doctor Death, who originally appeared in Detective Comics #29. | Wikipedia = List of Batman Family enemies | Links = * Batman Villains at Rapsheet.co.uk * IGN: The Best & Worst Batman Villains * Batmanvillains.net * Batman Wiki Rogues Gallery }} Category:Batman